


The Myth of The Lone Wolf

by cripplingdepresso, xenolinguist



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: A Bit of Fluff, Angst, M/M, MetaMoro, No really he is, Pining, Really a lot of angst, and a lot more angst, criminal!ermal, ermal is a piece of shit in this one, fabrizio deserves better, good cop!fabrizio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-06-16 20:01:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15444750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cripplingdepresso/pseuds/cripplingdepresso, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenolinguist/pseuds/xenolinguist
Summary: Fabrizio, a newly recruited officer who's from the top of his class, gets thrown into the wild goose chase for the Wolf, an experienced thief and con man whom the police have been trying to catch for years. In one faithful meeting, he gets close. But not close enough.Meanwhile the officer meets Ermal, a charming boy with a passion for music. An unexpected relationship blooms between them, leading Fabrizio to juggle between his life as a law enforcer and his life with Ermal. The line between those two get thinner and thinner as heists get more frequent, and Fabrizio starts to struggle under the stealthy eyes of his enemy.





	1. Chapter 1

Quick steps rushing over the concrete echoed through the empty back alley as darkness swept the area except of that one half-broken street light weakly illuminating the way. His shift was about to start in ten minutes and with a job of such importance he really couldn't afford being late.  Fabrizio Mobrici loved his job, he’d always had a strong natural sense of justice which eventually lead him to take up a job in the police force, still, unexpected calls from the station at 1 am remained a pain in the ass even for the most diligent officers.

The museum which contacted the troops was currently having an exhibition of recently discovered Renaissance paintings, each costing a few million Euro. Sources claim that several criminal organisations and individuals, one of them being the infamous  _Wolf_ , have an eye on these paintings but so far, nothing suspicious has happened which made Fabrizio wonder if the job was worth his presence at all. Well, at least, he could admire a few nice paintings if nothing else.

Arriving at the building, he soon relieved his fellow guards and hence his shift began. Time passed as he was wandering the halls of the museum, nobody but his own thoughts accompanying him on this late night.  Having a partner around would have been better; at least it would be more fun to kill the time and it would have been safer in any case, but his usual partner Claudio was still recovering from the car accident and he'd be out of duty for at least a few months.  The station offered to give him a new partner, but that didn't feel right to Fabrizio, after all you do build a certain connection to your partner and that cannot be replaced that easily. It would be fine, Fabrizio kept telling himself even when a little grain of anxiety still remained in his guts. He'd surely be able to handle a few cases on his own until Clau-   

A sound made Fabrizio stop in his tracks. He checked his phone, no calls or no messages from his colleagues and looking at his watch, it said 2:26am.  The next shift change wasn't supposed to happen until 6 am. Something was not right here.

He heard the sound once more. Footsteps it seemed. Then there were more of them. From what Fabrizio heard, he assumed that multiple people had entered the hallways. Which wasn’t right _at all_. Civilians weren’t allowed to enter in these hours, and Fabrizio was sure as hell that he’s the only guard on duty. Unless…

The footsteps got louder and louder, which signified them getting closer. He hid behind one of the walls and hoped that they won’t notice his presence. Soon enough the noises came to a halt. Fabrizio took the opportunity to peek at whoever managed to break into the museum. He was right, it was a group of people. More specifically goons. Most of them wore masks and gloves. Some of them had tools and crowbars. They looked like a stereotypical group of thieves who were up to no good. However, one of them caught his eye.

Unlike the rest of the group, this one didn’t wear a mask. His hair was slicked back and a pair of sunglasses were perched upon his nose. He wore a black leather jacket and some pretty tight pants. Between his half palm gloved fingers, he held a cigarette with its ashes slowly floating downwards to the floor. Five distinct words were in Fabrizio’s mind as he examined this particular character: He looked like an asshole. _A genuine asshole_. As if this group of thieves weren’t cliche enough. This guy was just the cherry on top.

The man let go of his cig and let its tip slightly burn the pristine floor, which admittedly infuriated Fabrizio even more. He smirked while he looked around the area.

“Well, that was easy.” He pointed to one of the paintings, “Now let’s start with this one.”

Of course he’d be the leader. Fabrizio tried so hard to fight his urge of just punching the guy in the face. But he had to be calm, and think of some sort of plan against these thieves. That was his job after all. If he didn’t, what was the point of all his training anyways? He went back to hiding and examined his options.

The museum had three alarms, one of them being in the control room. Fabrizio glanced at one of the cameras in the hall. It pointed straight at the group. There should have been an alarm already, but alas there wasn’t. So that only meant that these men had already taken care of that area. Or maybe it was an inside job all along, and they just happened to drag Fabrizio into this mess but of course he just disregarded that thought for now. So the only thing left for him to do was to activate either one of the two alarms instead. Which meant that he would have to do some sort of stealthy strategy to make his way there.

So there were alarms, then what? Well the alarms not only alert everyone inside the building, but it also contacted the local authorities that something was wrong. Fabrizio decided that he’d have to do something to stall the thieves long enough for the police to have some sort of head start. He didn’t know exactly how to yet, but at least he had some sort of plan in place.

He’d just have to wait for the thieves to move onto the next part of the museum before he could do anything.

Fabrizio watched as their leader simply pointed at the paintings and got them removed as if he was window shopping. There really was something about this guy’s demeanor that really ticked him off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it just did.

When the last precious painting was removed from the wall, the goons slowly started to pack up and carry the paintings out. That's the moment Fabrizio waited for, that was his opportunity to strike.  As silently as possible, Fabrizio started moving towards the alarm, hoping he'd pass unnoticed. He could hear the gang’s boss ordering his accomplices to hurry up and that he'll meet them outside which immediately unsettled Fabrizio. The officer came closer and closer to the alarm when he heard an irritated voice approaching him.

“- should have checked the area before, godammit. For fuck’s sake, who am I? Some wacky newbie or the Wolf?”  

He seemed to be talking to himself and if Fabrizio was not mistaken, he sounded vaguely panicking, he might have heard the officer move after a-

_'Wait, the wolf!?  The Wolf?!_

Oh this was bad. This was very bad. He'd heard of the Wolf before, everybody has, but only the fewest actually met the man face to face. Infamous thief and conman, internationally sought by Interpol, responsible for more than 137 confirmed robberies and God knows for how many unconfirmed ones. This was _the_ chance to catch the Wolf, if Fabrizio screws up, he'd be gone for possibly years.  There was no time to spare now, Fabrizio realised this, as he lunged for the alarm triggering it at last.

The entire museum was enveloped with the piercing wail of the security alarm.  

“Che cazzo!”  

Fabrizio turned around to the source of the sound to see the Wolf dumbfounded regarding him.  The room was dark and badly lit, but the criminal's body language revealed his utter shock. He must have noticed the police uniform because a second later he started sprinting as fast as he could, all the other treasures to steal forgotten.

_'Looks like he isn't used to getting caught’_

The policeman immediately started chasing after him, and yes, the Wolf had a headstart and his slender legs were quick but the academy did a thing or two to Fabrizio's physique and in no time he caught up with the criminal who now seemed even more on the edge.

_'And he isn't used to running away either.He really must be that good at his robberies then._

That came in handy for Fabrizio as he finally managed to get a hold of the thief’s arm and in one swift motion slammed him against the wall. Nevertheless, that left the man in sunglasses unimpressed and he quite sharply kicked Fabrizio in the guts making him taking a step back. Pain spread in Fabrizio's body but he had to stay focused as the Wolf lunged for another attack, however this time the officer easily dodged it and went for a punch himself.

His fist hit him square in the chest, and it was the culprit’s turn to stumble back. Fabrizio saw an opening and followed with another strike.  

The Wolf recovered and charged with a left hook.

Fabrizio barely avoided the swing and landed an upward punch to the gut.

He didn’t notice his opponent’s knuckles heading to the side of his face.

The officer quickly regained his footing, yet tasting iron in his mouth.

There was a repeated exchange of fists and elbows, hitting and missing. One thing was for sure however, the two of them seemed to be evenly matched somehow.

The pounding in Fabrizio’s ears obscured the loud alarms as his focus never left The Wolf.

There was no such thing as predator and prey in that moment as both of them were the hunters.

Fabrizio had to admit, he was quite impressed. This guy knew how to handle himself in a fight. Who knew a thief who looked like he wasn’t used to being confronted by the authorities could actually last against someone with training. He wondered where he got the experience.

But the longer the fight went on the more antsy The Wolf’s movements became.

_’Getting tired aren’t ya?’_

Fabrizio was still going strong. He may not be the fittest guy out there, but at least he had the endurance. His opponent seemed to be quite lacking at that area.

And at the right moment, the officer had clocked the thief right on his jaw. This knocked those god-awful sunglasses right out of his face, sliding on the waxed floor after a clattering sound. The Wolf placed his fingers onto his now bleeding lips. He took a glance at the fallen glasses and back to Fabrizio. He grinned.

“That wasn’t very nice.”

Fabrizio grimaced. “Stealing paintings isn’t very nice either.”

The officer was having none of it at this point, and so he recklessly charged full force toward the criminal.

“Well, too bad...” As his opponent got close enough, he stepped out of the way and harshly pushed Fabrizio onto the vase behind him. The sound of fine porcelain breaking soon followed. Fabrizio was knocked unconscious with the impact. “I don’t really count as a ‘nice person.”

He didn’t stop to celebrate as the alarm already meant that reinforcements were already on their way. The Wolf simply started sprinting once more, disappearing into the distance.

* * *

Fabrizio woke up with pain radiating throughout his entire body.

_'What… What happened?’_

Ah right, he fought someone.

Everything was still hazy: his vision, his hearing, even the exact memories of whatever happened the previous night. He registered bright lights, a vague sound of people chatting, cars passing by and other noises he couldn't quite distinguish,

“God, my head is killing me.” he groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

“It’s the concussion that you've got yourself. Don't worry, though, it's light, you'll be alright in a couple of days.”

Finally his vision slowly cleared and Fabrizio took notice of the paramedic attending to him, he's been lying in an ambulance car in front of the museum, however he had no memory of how he got there in the meanwhile.  Around the building, several police cars were already stationed and a few dozen of his colleagues were searching the area, he even spotted a few goons being already handcuffed but no sight of the Mastermind himself.

“Don't give me that face, Mobrici. You look like you have killed puppies and not just stopped an invaluable art robbery.”  

Fabrizio jumped in surprise, too deep in his dwellings he didn't notice his Captain approach, a soft look on her face.

“Capitano” he tried to salut her but the quick motion made him dizzy and he leaned back against the wall.

“Take it easy, Mobrici.  Not only have you gotten yourself a handful of bruises but a concussion too. I think you've deserved a little bit of rest for now.”

“Have I? What about the paintings? Have they gotten away? They were already on their way out when I rang the alarm.”

“Two vans did indeed get away but you managed to stall enough time for us to catch at least the other two vans. You've saved paintings of at least 50 thousands Euro tonight.”

“But what about _him_? Did he get away?”

The Captain frowned confused.  “Who’s _him_? The gang leader, you mean?”

“The _Wolf_!”

Silence fell between the two of them and the only sounds resonating were the police forces in the background. The Captain took her sweet time observing her officer for a few moments, needed the time to truly realise what he had just revealed to her.

“Are you- are you telling me that not only have you sabotaged what would have been another million Euro robbery by the Wolf but also personally got into a fistfight with him?”

“I let him _escape_!” Fabrizio rolled his eyes angry at himself. The Captain sensed that resentment and stepped closer to him in a way to emphasize her point.

“Mobrici, how many people do you think have ever actually accomplished victories of any kind against the Wolf? Hell,nobody has ever even seen him in person since that incident in Florence a few years ago, and even then he escaped with all the pieces and blinded the Officer who caught him.”  

Fabrizio let his head hanging, he understood where she was coming from but that encounter with Wolf went under his skin.  The museum had been dark and unfortunately, he didn't get a good look on the thief’s face, but that smirk. That overconfident,smug smirk mocking Fabrizio, mocking the police forces as a whole, the entire legal system.  That smirk Fabrizio just couldn't forget, it had personally offended him.

A hand found its way on Fabrizio's shoulder, pulling him back to reality and he looked up to his superior officer.

“All I'm saying is, tonight you have prevented worse at the expense of your own health and safety.  You're off duty for the next few days until you recover.”

“Capitano, I'm - “

“That's an order, Mobrici!  It didn't escape me that you're personally invested into this whole incident, so if it makes you feel better, you'll be assigned to any new Wolf sightings shall they occur. But for now, you should take a break for a while. Rest, Fabrizio.” The last statement carried an almost maternal tone and Fabrizio had to cave in.

“Yes, ma’am. Of course.”

And so Officer Mobrici, dissatisfied but unable to change the situation, was sent home. Maybe not tonight, but some other day he hoped he'd cross paths with the Wolf again. 

* * *

Unbeknownst to Fabrizio, somewhere in the outskirts of Rome, a certain criminal wished for the same thing. Granted, he did make an embarrassing rookie mistake by not checking the area beforehand and unfortunately, half of his squad got locked up.  Nevertheless, this heist was the most exciting one the thief has had in years. Especially because of that little policeman. The criminal couldn't forget that expression in the cop’s eyes. Determined and justice seeking. That kind of Good Boy who wouldn't rest until the criminal was behind bars, he'd sure as hell be assigned to this case. The Wolf smirked as he lit his cigarette, taking a deep drag on it. He did wish to meet this particular cop again, only to destroy that god-awful righteousness in eyes if nothing else. Oh yes, the heist might have ended but the game has only just begun.


	2. The game begins

“Cheers!”  
  
The sound of glasses hitting against each other filled the room along with the gleeful chatter of the thieves. The best liquors had been opened and for that one evening the crew’s genuine calm was palpable. It’s what they deserve, Ermal reckoned. They’ve worked tirelessly for the past few weeks in preparation to make this coup possible and when the day came, the guys really brought on their A game. Satisfaction was an understatement.  
  
Ermal had one arm swung over Marco’s shoulders and downed his drink in one go before addressing his accomplices, now in a smaller number than they used to be. “This was for our friends who took one for the team and got caught tonight.” The guys nodded in agreement now with a slightly subdued and more serious attitude. “But don’t worry, before we can even try to bail them out, they’ll probably escape by themselves anyway, those sly bastards!” Ermal laughed. Besides the obvious, another reason why people so naturally followed Ermal was his ability to give them hope even against all odds. Even unplanned setbacks like these could serve as motivation for his crew if you played your cards right, and Ermal played _brilliantly_. “You know why I’m convinced they will succeed in their jailbreak? Because they’re goddamn professionals with a fuckton of experience and know-how, just like the rest of you and that’s exactly why this coup was such a hit! Ten paintings, five vases and even three statues! What could one possibly want more?”  
“I don’t know, maybe the other ten paintings and two vases those fucking cops confiscated. Those cops were a pain in the ass anyway.” Dino chimed in an attempt of humour but Ermal knew his people well enough to see a grain of frustration lingering underneath the facade.  
“What? Dino, are you getting too old for some classic car races against the cops? Already got used to just casually waltzing in and out the museums like we’re on a shopping spree in Carrefour? Aw, Dino, you disappoint me.” He was met with laughers and a friendly punch to the shoulder from Dino. So the celebration carried on for some time, a few more glasses were drunk, a few more anecdotes were told, laughter were heard until the last of bottle was finally emptied and the crew had nothing left to do but return to their usual post-heist activities. Dino checked the vans and the equipment for damages and repaired them if needed, Marco was contacting long-term customers of theirs if they’d be interested but also asked around the art smuggling scene who would come into question as potential buyers, while Andrea was organising the transport and wrapping the stolen goods accordingly.

Ermal was usually tasked with the planning of future heists however, the thing Dino said earlier simply wouldn’t leave his mind. Ermal paced around their lair replaying the events of the past few hours in his head. If it weren’t for those cops- no, scratch that- if it wasn’t for _that_ cop, that one cop within the museum, this heist would have found a different ending. The Wolf huffed at the memory of that guy. First of all, he actually managed to sneak passed him almost completely unnoticed. Then, the cop gave him a few beautiful bruises as a souvenir. _‘Well, thank fuck for that. Certainly won’t forget you now.’_  
  
Annoyed and irritated the Wolf took a seat in at his desk, leaning back against the chair. Ermal hasn’t been this close to getting caught in five full years. He might have mocked Dino before, but if he were honest, Ermal too did get accustomed to carry out their heists without any obstacles. It had felt like his blood froze at sight of the policeman when he rang the damn alarm. The worst part was, the cop wasn’t stupid. He was intelligent which was far more dangerous than the policemen Ermal usually came across, the hunk pieces of meat with a vacuum between their ears and a gun in their hand. When Ermal initiated a conversation, he responded and that even with wit. That guy was exciting, that guy was intriguing, this guy represented a new challenge for someone who thought to have mastered them all. Ermal smirked as he opened his laptop.  
  
“ANDREA, COME OVER!” The criminal called for his cohort who promptly approached him. “Listen, I need you to give me access to information of recently recruited officers, preferably top graduates of their class. See what databases you can hack; Polizia di Stato, AISI, DIS, whatever. I just need those information on the officers.” With a short nod Andrea made his way to his own work space and truly, a while later Ermal received several long list of names and ranks on his computer.  
_’Andrea, you talented bastard. I owe you one.’_  
  
Now that they had a bit of information on the enemy, it’s crucial to see how much information did the enemy have on them. A quick internet search revealed that not much information about the heist has reached the press yet. A few media outlets reported about it but their facts were vague which could only reflect the current level of knowledge of the police. _Excellent_. Suddenly, however, one name mentioned in an article caught Ermal’s eye.  
  
Fabrizio Mobrici. Recently recruited officer and now hailed as the heroic saviour of the museum’s treasures. Fabrizio Mobrici. That name did appear in the list of the top graduates. There couldn’t be many policemen with the exact same name in Italy, there wasn’t a coincidence like this, which could only mean one thing. One fantastic, magnificent thing. Euphoria swept over Ermal as he re-opened the database and scrolled down to the letter ‘M’.  
  
“Now, let’s find out more about you, Signore Mobrici, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment!
> 
> Explanation:  
> Polizia di Stato= State police  
> AISI, DIS = Italian intelligence agencies


	3. Unprecedented déjà-vus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fabrizio goes out for a cup of coffee and makes an intriguing encounter

Three days have passed and Officer Mobrici hasn’t been called back by anyone in the office.

  
As time went on, he could feel anxiety rising up in his gut. Despite everyone telling him that he did a great job back at the museum, he still wasn’t quite content. Yes, they managed to get back about half of the stolen paintings but Fabrizio felt like he could have done more than that. His captain told him to get some rest due to his bruises yet his own thoughts wouldn’t let him do so. Maybe they weren’t calling because they don’t need him anymore? What if he’d been removed from the force without him knowing? Even with his apparent doubts, Fabrizio still spent the past days lying on the bed. He wouldn’t admit it but his body was still hurting all over. But then again, he was punched, kicked, and practically thrown onto a porcelain vase. He couldn’t really do anything else. They were right that he needed the time off. If only he recovered quicker and if his body were stronger, then the officer would have already sprung to action the moment an opportunity arose. He was however, glad that his children actually took their time to check up on him. He was worried that his duties might have indirectly affected his relationship with them. But turns out that wasn’t the case. Fabrizio had received a couple of calls from Libero and Anita throughout his time off, and they were the only thing that made his recovery something worthwhile. By an odd coincidence, his phone started to ring. He shifted his position and reached over to pick up the call and was promptly met by a very familiar but worried voice.  
  
“Fabrizio? You picked up! Oh God, we just saw it on TV, are you alright? Are you injured? Are you in hospital? Libero keeps asking to visit you and I kept stalling because I don’t know what to expect! Also, I’m currently hiding in the bathroom and I don’t know how much longer I can talk until they start- “  
“Giada.” His tone was defined and steady which made her immediately stop. “I’m… alright, more or less. I’m not lying in hospital being connected to five different machines, if that’s what you were expecting. There’s been a fist fight and I got a few bruises here and there but that’s as far as it went. I’ll live.”

“Good. Good, that’s .. that’s good.” He could hear her breathe out slowly. “When the news came on, they just mentioned you were involved and stopped the robbery but they didn’t specify about your well-being.” Hearing her fearful tone, Fabrizio realised that nothing could really erase the connection he and Giada had built over the years, not even their break-up. Even when the romantic love had faded away, the friendship remained. “Giada, it’s okay now. I’m okay. But more importantly, you said Libero was worried?” “Yes, he’s insisting on going to you.” Fabrizio sighed. “Give him the phone please.” The next thing he heard were some noises, a door being opened, footsteps maybe until he registered the sound of a TV running and Giada’s voice faintly saying something he couldn’t make out.

“Hello?”

“Ciao, piccolo.” A quiet gasped escaped his son.

“Papa! Are you alright? Did they shoot you? What happened? Can I see you?” Questions asked too eagerly, too emotionally and most importantly, too worried. His little son shouldn’t have been scared like this, this entire affair wasn’t as exciting as the media portrayed it and for that sensationalism Fabrizio detested them.  
  
“Slow down, Lib. I’m fine. No, nobody got shot. Your old papa just scared off some bad guys who wanted to steal something from the museum.” The officer tried to muster the most relaxed tone he could even when even each movement pained him. A few moments of silence followed where Libero was probably proceeding the information. “So you aren’t hurt?” _’Well,...’_ There was a concussion and a few bruises but Libero didn’t need to know that. “Ah, not really, just a few scratches. My boss sent me home to rest for a while but listen, once they say I’m good to go, I’ll take you and your sister out to the park or the beach. Just the three of us! How does that sound?” Fabrizio was aware that this was only a mere compensation for not letting his kids visit him in his current state and he suspected that Libero knew that too. Before his son got to answer, a high pitched squeal resonated from the background. “LOOK LIBERO, PAPA IS ON TV!” His youngest announced excitingly as the news channels probably repeated the headlines of the day. _’Oh Anita, amore mio.’_ Fabri had to chuckle and even Libero’s mood seemed to have improved when he started quietly laugh as well.

“Okay, papa, we’ll see you then when you’re feeling better.”

“We will, I promise. Take care, Lib.”

“You too, papa. And…”

“Yes, Libero?”

“Iloveyou” The boy added hastily, clearly embarrassed that a big boy like him would admit to such sentiments. Unbeknownst to the boy, it meant the world to his father. “I love you too.” Fabrizio answered with a huge smile before ultimately hanging up. He remained laying on his bed for a while and kept replaying this conversation in his head. His children were his world, the epicentre of is life. But his job could get dangerous, and each time he was called to a scene, it could have been his last time. The constant peril of losing their father was the burden Fabrizio couldn’t lift so easily from his children and sometimes that knowledge tore him apart. But enough about these hypothetical miseries, after all they did agree to spend some quality time together outside as soon as possible.  
  
_’Come of think of it, some fresh air would do me some good now too.’_  
  
Deciding that he’d been lazing around at home enough, Fabrizio made his way outside and immediately enjoyed his decision. He realised that he not only missed the sunlight on his skin, the fresh air in his nose, but also just being among other people.  
  
Another thing he’d been deprived in the past few days was the terrific coffee they sell at the coffee shop around the corner so that was where he was ultimately heading. The door opened and the little bell above the door rang. It was lovely shop, not that well known and not part of the big coffee shop chains, but nevertheless Fabrizio was convinced they still had the best coffee in the district.  
  
He ordered his usual cup and sat down by that one empty table left. Warm autumn colours, dimmed lights and wooden tables gave the shop a certain intimate, comfortable feeling that many other café simply lack, but despite that Fabrizio couldn’t help but examine the area. Force of habit. Once a cop, always a cop.  
  
His eyes wander around the shop when he suddenly spots a figure standing there. A peculiar feeling washed over Fabrizio. That man seemed vaguely familiar, as if he’d seen him before, but Fabrizio just couldn’t put his finger on where. The policeman shook his head feeling slightly ridiculous. _’Stop being irrationally suspicious of random people! Not everyone you meet on the street is a criminal!’_ Truly his paranoia had gone too far, especially considering that the man in question had the fluffiest curls someone who wasn’t a poodle could possibly have. It reminded him a bit of cotton candy and Fabrizio felt even more ridiculous for his previous critical assumption. It was cute. _He_ was cute.  
  
Just as Fabrizio was marvelling over the stranger’s locks, the guy turned around and Fabrizio quickly averted his gaze. He didn’t need to know that Fabrizio kept staring at him for the past few minutes.  
  
The man was now looking around for a place to sit and as it was, the only table with an empty seat was the one Fabrizio occupied. He sat down across from the policeman and Fabrizio thanked and cursed his luck at the same time. Now up close, Fabrizio had a good look on his face. It was fascinating. Thin lips, a prominent nose and the curly bangs covering half his face. Some might not call him classically handsome, but Fabrizio was definitely intrigued. The stranger wore a brown-ish coat with a rather colourful blouse peeking out under it. What a strange outfit and yet somehow perfect for this strange guy.  
  
Fabrizio had apparently stared at him again because he was torn out of his thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He looked up to find the man expectantly eyeing him. Feeling like a deer in the headlights, Fabrizio fumbled at his own words "Oh no! no! There's nothing wrong I swear." The guy giggled at Fabrizio's answer "Okay then..." and continued to take a sip of his coffee. And so they remained in awkward silence, the only sound between them being their occasional sipping on their cups. But Fabrizio couldn’t help but steal a glance every now and then towards the stranger.  
  
It's been a while since someone had truly peaked Fabrizio's interest to be honest. At times, he'd had a fleeting moment where he'd think the newest officers were pretty or that the cashier at the supermarket was quite handsome, but these instances were usually just a notch above superficial attraction. That guy however intrigued him in ways he couldn't quite put his fingers on. There was just _something_ about him.  
  
“Oh wow, the Smiths? Haven't heard that song on the radio in years.”  
  
The comment tore Fabrizio out of his thoughts and he noticed the soft melody echoing through the coffee shop from the radio.

  
  
**_Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head. And never climb into an empty bed._**

  
  
“You’re right, they really haven't played that in a long time. Brings me right back to my youth.”  
  
The guy nodded in agreement. “Not my favourite song, if I'm honest, but still, it’s magnificent. Especially the lyrics, you can practically feel the genuine agony oozing from every word he sings.”  
“Yes, exactly, I totally agree! There's nothing better for me when you, as the listener, can feel the raw if harsh emotion of the artist. It carries a certain sense of honesty and openness.”

 

  
**_See, the sea wants to take me. The knife what's to slit me. Do you think you can help me?_**

 

  
A cat like smirk spread on the stranger's face. “I have to say, I'm impressed. Not many people I meet share such similar views to my own. They usually don't hold such profound opinions like you do. What other music do you like?”

 

 

**_...but she needs you more than she loves you_ **

 

  
  
“I'm rather fond of Rock music. Motörhead, Guns’n’Roses, AC/DC, you know, the classics. And yes, I know it's a rather big leap from the Smiths’ soft sounds to Axel Rose’s roaring.“  
  
“No, no, I understand. You're a man of many tastes, nothing wrong with that. Tell me, what do you like about Rock so much?”  
Fabrizio was stunned if he was honest. Usually people weren't really interested in his opinions about music. And the guy obviously seemed to know a thing or two about music himself. It was a nice feeling to geek about something you were passionate about with someone else.  
  
“The rhythm, the guitars, the speed, it makes me feel free in a way. You let loose listening to it, I mean, have you ever listened to “Paradise City” and _not_ felt on top of the world? Rock gives you the energy and the push to completely and unapologetically live your freedom.”  
  
“Wow…” the stranger raised an eyebrow. “You sound beautiful talking about music.” And now Fabrizio was almost sure that he was being flirted with. He cleared his throat and inquired about his conversation partner’s opinions. As previously mentioned, he liked the Smiths, however thought Morrissey is a an annoying idiot. (“Have you ever seen a bigger knob in your life? Doubtful.”) Joy Division, Chris Isaak, The Ramones, the Rolling Stones and even Guns’n’Roses were apparently some of his favourites with “November Rain” being his favourite song of the latter band.  
“I absolutely love the piano in this song. He really masters it magnificently.”

“Oh, so you play the piano too?”. The man leaned back a bit and sighed

“Well, I used to. Nowadays I unfortunately don't have much time left for the piano because of work.”

“What are you doing, if you don't mind me asking?”

“I ...uhm… I'm working in… uhm.. finances. I work a lot with numbers and maths and economics, it's really boring actually, I will spare you the details.”

“Oh if you think so.” Secretly, Fabrizio was glad he didn't get a in-depth explanation because, was there anything more confusing than finances?  
  
But apart from that, their conversation went on surprisingly smooth. They shared a laugh or two, dived deeper into their shared love for music and spent what felt like hours in good company with each other. Fabrizio had no idea how much time passed but at some point the stranger’s eyes met his own and with a soft voice he spoke “It was truly a pleasure talking you and believe me, I’d gladly continue our little chat here but unfortunately I have some business to attend to.” Of course, other people who weren’t recently involved in fistfights with international criminals still had work to do and jobs to attend to. “By the way, I’m Ermal.” the curly haired man stretched his hand towards Fabrizio who gladly shook it. “Nice to meet you Ermal, I’m Fabrizio.” By the sound of his name, a large smile found its way onto Ermal’s face. Fabrizio liked that sight. The last few words were exchanged and Ermal soon left the café. The policeman looked long after him and had to think what a strange yet charming meeting he just experienced. This Ermal was really an interesting guy, too bad he will probably never see him again. He sighed. Deciding he spent enough time dwelling on it, Fabrizio stood up and was ready to get going when a small piece of paper caught his attention. It was put under his now empty cup and revealed in a very neatly handwriting the name ‘Ermal’ and a phone number below it. To say that Fabrizio was happy was an understatement. He beamed like a kid on Christmas day and tucked the small piece of paper into his pocket. Seems like he will see Ermal again after all!

 

* * *

  
A few blocks away, in the safety of a secluded back alley, a man was smoking the last bit of his now third cigarette. Dammit, it was the last one in the package, he should get a new one. Just as he grinding his cigarette under his heel, a small black car pulled up to him. _’About time’_  
  
The Wolf made himself comfortable in the passenger seat as the driver started the engine again.

“Took you long enough, Dino. Next time I’ll take an uber.”

“Sorry, Erm. Andrea had problems hacking the police cameras around the city and I didn’t want to risk driving out. Seems like the cops must have installed a new software.”

“Fucking cops, always making it difficult for us.” Dino carefully watched the streets before taking the next turn left.

“Speaking of cops, how did your ….meeting go?”

“Brilliantly, even better than planned.”

“Y’know, I usually trust you with your weird plans, but this is batshit crazy. He could recognise you. What if he actually _did_ recognise you?”

“He didn’t, don’t worry. A man just doesn’t ramble about his favourite bands for an hour with his enemy. It was honestly so easy. Mobrici is such an easy-going guy, he quickly got immersed into the conversation and he even asked what music I like.”

“Oh Ermal, if you were looking for the Albano to your Romina, you could have simply asked one of the gang and not go to the cop that literally almost put us behind bars.”

“Shut up!” Ermal huffed a laugh. “Once he suspects it the least, we’ll strike.”

“You really do need to outsmart him, don’t you? This whole thing is just a huge ego trip for you.”

“I said shut up! It’s gonna work. And besides, once we’re done with him, we’ll have one policeman less to worry about.”  
  
He leaned back against the seat and let his head fall against the window. This is going to work, it will. Once the Wolf set eyes on his prey, he _will_ hunt him down, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> its been a while but we're back !!!
> 
>  
> 
> so, any thoughts, comments? leave them in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to the metamoro discord server! without y'all maybe this wouldn't have been written.  
> so yeah... first chapter of the good cop x criminal au  
> we're in for a wild ride, folks  
> here's to a couple more chapters!


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